Appendix.Round-Trip Production

Appendix. Round-Trip Production

Since the introduction of Final Cut Pro in 1999, Apple's portfolio of content creation software has expanded to include a dozen professional applications that aid the entire production process, including editing, graphics and effects, music and audio, and delivery tools.

Just as there is an unending stream of new video formats, the tools and techniques in postproduction continue to evolve to meet the demands and budgetary requirements of today's sophisticated producers and viewers. Fortunately, there are a few typical production workflows that stand out as standard operating practices.

At different stages in the process, these workflows may involve audio (dialog, music, and sound effects), video (whether originated from film or some video format, including high definition), and other elements (text, 2D graphics, and 3D objects and characters). The professional production workflow is the art and science of blending together these separate elements into a single project, hopefully one that is as technically sound to the engineer as it is captivating to the audience.